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Firehawk
Firehawk was a Vekoma lay-down roller coaster located at Kings Island in Kings Mills, Ohio. The ride originally operated at Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom as X-Flight. The ride closed in 2018 and was later removed. History Six Flags Geauga Lake(2001-2006) While the park was still named Six Flags Ohio, plans for a new roller coaster known as X-Flight were revealed on January 4, 2001.Six days later, Six Flags purchased SeaWorld Ohio – next to Geauga Lake – with the intent of merging the two to create Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. The new venture advertised X-Flight as the first Flying roller coaster in the Midwest, and it was the park's tenth roller coaster overall – the fifth added since 2000.The new coaster was built on a former bus parking lot, and Geauga Lake Road had to be rerouted around the ride. Land clearing began on December 1, 2000, and construction on the footers began February 9, 2001. X-Flight was originally supposed to open in early May 2001,but due to technical difficulties, its opening was delayed.During testing, problems were discovered with several devices including the reclining mechanism on the trains and their restraints. X-Flight's media day was eventually held on May 24, 2001, and the ride officially opened two days later on May 26. Cedar Fair purchased the park from Six Flags in 2004 for $145 million. They announced intentions of returning the park to its roots as a family-oriented amusement park.The efforts to downsize the park eventually led to X-Flight's removal. On November 22, 2006, Geauga Lake park officials announced that X-Flight was being dismantled to be sent to another unspecified Cedar Fair property. Moving the ride would take some time, as the final sections of track and supports wouldn't be removed until March 2007. Kings Island(2011-2018) On January 22, 2007, green Vekoma track resembling the track of X-Flight was spotted at Kings Island, a Cedar Fair park in Mason, Ohio.On February 5, 2007, Kings Island officially announced Firehawk as the former X-Flight roller coaster from Geauga Lake.Construction was scheduled to begin later that month, and the opening was set for Memorial Day weekend later that year.X-Flight's neon green track and dark blue supports were re-painted red and steel gray, respectively. It was built in an area next to Flight of Fear, creating a new area named X-Base which connects to nearby area Coney Mall via a walkway under Racer's lift hill. Firehawk officially opened as scheduled on May 26, 2007. It was the first roller coaster to be introduced at the park since Cedar Fair purchased it from Paramount Parks in 2006. The first 2,500 riders received commemorative Firehawk T-shirts. On September 27, 2018, Kings Island announced that Firehawk would close permanently on October 28, 2018.The ride was demolished prior to the 2019 season.On August 15, 2019 it was announced that Firehawk would be replaced with a Bolliger & Mabillard Giga Coaster named Orion that will open in 2020. Incidents On August 8, 2009, an adult male passenger was rushed to a hospital after he was found with breathing problems following the ride. He died the same evening. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office reported that a heart condition was the likely cause of death and ruled it a natural cause. The ride was re-opened at 12:10 pm on August 9, 2009, after an inspection by the Ohio Department of Agriculture – a division of the state government responsible for amusement park ride safety in Ohio. They determined the ride was operating within the manufacturer's specifications. Photo Gallery 120px-VekomaFlyer.jpg Category:Roller coasters Category:Vekoma Category:2007 Category:Defunct